Kulite Semiconductor Products, Inc., the assignee herein, has previously made and patented a method for fabricating high pressure piezoresistive transducers using both longitudinal and transverse piezoresistive coefficients U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,619, entitled "Method of Fabricating a High-Pressure Piezoresistive Transducer", filed Sep. 30, 1996, and assigned to the assignee herein, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Therein, a basic sensor is formed from a piece of single crystal silicon to which sensors are dielectrically bonded on one surface and the other surface of the silicon is bonded to a glass support member. In those structures the piezoresistive elements were formed on the surface of the transducer that is directly exposed to the pressure media. Additionally, electrical contacts and lead wires are also exposed to the media.
This structure is undesirable in some situations, where exposure of the piezoresistive elements, electrical contacts and lead wires to the media shortens the life expectancy of the pressure transducer. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a high pressure transducer less sensitive to the media.